11:54 PM CST on Wednesday, December 28, 2005

By STEVE STOLER / WFAA-TV

WFAA-TV

Over 600 students lined up for their flight to California.

Hundreds of excited North Texas teenagers were beginning a trip of a lifetime Wednesday as they began a march to Pasadena.

The Allen Eagle Escadrille is the only high school band from Texas marching in the 2006 Tournament of Roses Parade in California.

Ten buses arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport carrying only half of the nation's largest high school marching band. Members of the Allen Eagle Escadrille were 608 strong.

"Ya'll have to be the bomb," said the bus driver to the group of teens. "Ya'll are representing Allen, Texas."

The only parade most of the students had marched in before was the Allen Christmas Parade. But on January 2, the group will march in front of an American television audience of 40 million people.

"I'm sure it's something I'm never going to forget," said student Joanna Price. "I'm probably going to remember it the rest of my life, probably think about it and tell my kids about it. It's really cool."

"I've never done something like this before and I know it's going to be something I'll never forget," said Jeff Lamkins. "So, I'm really looking forward to it."

Moving 608 band members from Allen to Pasadena was no easy task. It took eight separate flights and $750,000 to make the trip. Each student needed to pay $1,200, which most of them raised themselves.

"It's thrilling to see the kids accomplish a goal and realize a dream," said teacher Virginia Smith. "It's the biggest thing Allen High School, in my opinion, has ever done."

Principal Steve Payne agreed there is nothing but good coming from the trip.

"[It's] exposure for Allen, exposure for Texas [and] it's awesome for these kids," he said. "They deserve it. They worked hard for it. You couldn't ask for a better group of kids."

E-mail sstoler@wfaa.com